Kirkus Reviews

A clever cast of avian characters conveys the meaning of several directional terms in this innovative lift-the-flap book that will appeal to babies and toddlers as well as children just beginning to read. Long's captivating illustrations use thick, black outlines and cartoon-style birds in bright shades of purple, green and orange. The book is divided into three short episodes that illustrate the concepts of tall/small, high/low and up/down. Each episode features three or more birds, with just a few words of dialogue in speech balloons using the simplest vocabulary. The bird groups each tell a tiny but complete story illustrating their concept, with birds flying up or floating up with balloons and, of course, coming back down again in various ways. A three-quarter-sized gatefold flap at the end of each episode lifts up to extend the story in some humorous way related to the tall/high/up concepts, with several unexpected twists and funny effects. Though the volume has a regular hard cover and medium trim size, the pages are printed on sturdy coated paper to facilitate the handling of the flap pages. This is a book with much to offer to children, from tiny babies who will laugh at the funny birds through preschoolers who will get the clever jokes to 5- and 6-year-olds who might find this a very first read-alone. (Picture book/early reader. 1-6)

Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2012)

Several birds star in three minimal comic tales, all about being the tallest or the highest; the text, via dialogue bubbles, couldn't be simpler. Flat, creamy colors on thick pages (some feature flaps) introduce a flock that's ditzy-looking but endearing: competitive as they are ("I am tall" / "You are not tall!"), the birds' friendship prevails ("We'll help you up!").

School Library Journal (Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2012)

PreS-K Long borrows from the Mo Willems school of minimalist humor in this early reader about a flock of funny birds trying to outdo one another. The three stories utilize repetition of very few words ("I am tall." "You are not tall." "I may not be tall. But I am not small"), but the accompanying illustrations greatly enrich the spare text with bright colors and charming cartoons, making this a fun first venture into reading alone. The book has one shortcoming: the pages are flimsy and do not lie flat, so the flaps catch when opened or closed, so longevity is definitely a concern. Otherwise, the silly birds and their games of one-upmanship are definitely giggle-worthy. Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

With the help of a flock of brightly colored, googly-eyed birds and some gatefold pages, Long (Chamelia) explores the title-s three words in a trio of short stories with the vibe of an animated educational TV clip. -I am tall,- declares a self-satisfied orange bird. -I am tall,- says a purple bird, who towers over him to the first bird-s chagrin. A pair of impossibly long bird legs steps in between them--I am tall- shouts a voice from above-then a gatefold page opens to reveal a squat green bird on stilts. -You are not tall!- the exasperated birds on the ground protest (the decidedly not tall green bird gets the last laugh, though, with a flashy tail display). In another story, a gatefold (and a bunch of balloons) help a nonflying penguin soar high, while, in the last entry, a flap makes two birds -up- in a tree come crashing down. Soothing pastel backgrounds focus attention on the action, while borscht-belt clowning by the birds provides plenty of visual humor. Small-scale but polished entertainment. Ages 4-7. (Feb.)

ALA Booklist (Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2012)

Feeling small in a giant world is a scenario every young child will recognize. A small, orange bird feels tall until a bigger purple bird says he is tall. A lift of the page flap reveals a small, green bird that has jumped up high on a branch to be taller than them all. Then there is a penguin, who can't fly, but the other three birds give him a set of balloons, and he begins to soar: "I am up!" More action comes when a bird on the ground joins one in the tree, but the branch breaks and both fall down. Luckily, a page flap folds back to show that their friends have come to help them up. With its uncluttered images in opaque colors and thick black lines, sturdy pages, and lift-the-flap surprises, this story about power plays turned upside down will delight both preschoolers and beginning readers alike.